“A Sister’s Call” covers a 14 year period after a woman’s brother with scz returns after being missing for 20 years.
Its a close look at an older person with scz as the brother turns 60 at the end of the film.
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Thank you for this recommendation. My son has SZ and was homeless for 9 months. It was the worst year of my life. He was fully non-compliant, self medicating with meth and heroin. It took SO much ongoing effort, time and energy to get him off the streets into psychiatrict treatment. There were times when I didn’t think he would make it but I kept trying and had him repeatedly amended into the psych hospital. Doctors in the ER Psych hospital got to know me and helped me advocate effectively for my son. It finally worked! I am so grateful that my son is on the right medication (Clozapine), fully sober and living in a 24 hour supervised group home for the last year and a half-hour. I pray for all those on the streets who are mentally ill and their families who love them…
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Is it like a locked unit? My brother has the tendency to go out and wander and my mom worries that he may do that in a group home. I don’t know if there are still long term facilities for those that are mentally ill that are locked so that’s why I am asking.
Hi,
No, group homes are voluntary and therefore they are not locked facilities. They are usually homes in a residential neighborhood that have staff on-sight 24 hours a day. Hope that helps. Take care, Dee
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Did you have a chance to watch “A Sister’s Call” yet?
I have never had a year as bad as you did. Even in my son’s most difficult hours, I was lucky enough (just pure luck that he didn’t have the motivation -need/desperation/whatever- to take to the streets) to have some reassurance in visually seeing him from time to time and keeping him in housing. I am in awe that you and your son were able to get things turned around, the hours of hard work that must have taken.
Not long after my son was diagnosed, my husband and I were in Jacksonville, Florida for a work week during the winter. Jacksonville’s hotel area has a good sized homeless population. We were shocked (it was early in our journey) to realize how many of the homeless appeared to have a mental illness. As we walked on the river walk, a young man came out from under a large bush on the riverbanks and stepped in front of us. He looked so much like our son, tall, thin, wearing old clothes and walking without moving his arms. I asked my husband “Should we ask if we can let his parents know where he is?” The young man suddenly became aware we were right behind him and took off. I think we scared him as much as that visit to Jacksonville scared us. All of our family members are always at risk of becoming homeless, and from there, victims of crimes.
A member of the hotel staff said it was so hard on the really cold days. The homeless people would sneak into the hotels to get warm and they would have to make them go back outside.
I enjoyed “A Sister’s Call” as it was honest about how her efforts for her brother affected her husband and their daughters. They showed us quite openly how mental illness had played a dark role in her family’s past. I have come to realize that mental illness unacknowledged - and therefore silenced- by society sends out silent ripples that harm families for their entire lives. As we are often reminded, not just our family members are affected by their brain disorders, our entire families are affected.
We need to take out the silent factor so people can see that our family members need to be valued and helped instead of being ignored. As long as a situation is ignored by society, we won’t be able to help people address it in their families.
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